tm909

This is the second episode in which I noticed something odd slipped in... Around 40 minutes into the episode, Ethan asks if they can watch Donald Duck, and Isaac replies "My dad loves that." He's looking at Ethan when he says it, clearly addressing him. Why wouldn't he just say "dad"? And wouldn't Ethan already know that, having grown up in the same household? ETA: Perhaps he was speaking indirectly to Olivia, since Ethan turns to her. However, a similar thing happened in the third episode, after the confrontation between Ethan, Olivia and the parents. Lydia runs off and is praying, and shortly afterwards, when it's just Lydia, Moriah, Micah and Isaac together, Micah says "How do you feel about, like, my parents not letting Ethan and Olivia hang out with their siblings?" Why would he say "my parents" if he's talking to his own siblings? Is this a blended family? Are some adopted? Foster children? Seems like a weird choice of words when referring to their own family members.

Regarding the physical abuse by Toby and possibly Brenda, there was very clearly a paddle with a duct-taped handle hanging prominently on the wall in their house. It was visible on their reality TV show. You could argue that it's hanging near the kitchen over a breadboard, but its shape and the handle make it look like a paddle to me. I've attached a screenshot. I went to see them in concert recently. Only the six oldest siblings (after Jessica) are currently on the road, although from Facebook photos, it appears they had the younger children with them performing near the end of the summer before they went back to school. During the concert they didn't go into too many details, but several times they mentioned taking the last 2 years off and experiencing a rough time in their lives. They emphasized finding personal courage to speak out against abuse if you're suffering from it, or know someone else who might be. They all seem much more confident and happy now that they're out from under the control and manipulation of their father. The only thing I found a bit cringeworthy was when the two older daughters, Jennifer and Jeannette, announced that they've recently been married, and joked that they've "made it their mission" to find their sister Jasmine a boyfriend. They then continued by joking that any eligible guys can meet them after the show to apply. Jasmine is 17. She looked visibly uncomfortable on stage when they said this. I know it was a joke, but now is perhaps not the best time to be making statements like that. It just came across as creepy.